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William Neal | Sr. VP Original
Content, KoldCast TV

William Neal has Executive Produced an extensive
amount of reality-based series, including “E!
True Hollywood Story”. He is the Sr. VP of
Original Content for KoldCast TV, an internet TV
Network developing original productions for
distribution and syndication via the web and
conventional TV. Scott Manville, Founder of the TV
Writers Vault sat down with Neal for some insight on
the ever-expanding digital web series genre, and the
industry related.

Scott Manville : Thanks for taking time out from
your projects to chat with us. How are things going
in development at KoldCast TV?

William Neal: We currently have several projects in
development through KoldCast Studios, including an
edgy talk show featuring a popular syndicated
columnist and a provocative “reality” series, the
latter a co-production with an acclaimed Hollywood
filmmaker. A number of other promising original
productions are in the pipeline. We are also in
dialogue with Documentary and Independent
filmmakers, along with several established
production companies from around the country, to
acquire and distribute their content.

Scott Manville : Can you give us an overview of
KoldCast TV? What are some activities and goals of
the company?

William Neal: KoldCast TV is all about choice and
flexibility – providing Viewers with compelling
content, delivered on-demand, in an easy-to-navigate
and entertaining environment. In terms of original
productions, we believe there are some very talented
people out there who simply never get the chance to
squeeze through the dime-sized Hollywood pipeline.
We can provide at least some of them with that
chance. Further, we’re accessible and
highly-responsive. And, unlike other ITV portals, we
provide a number of value-added services, without
cost, to our Content Partners which, we’ re told,
are highly-valued and greatly appreciated. We’re
completing the first phase “Beta: Take One” release
of KoldCast this month. Our “Take Two,” release,
which follows relatively soon thereafter, brings
additional and more immediate monetization
opportunities to KoldCast TV and its partners. Our
primary goal at this time is simply to increase
Content, Viewers and Cash Flow! Easy, huh?

Scott Manville : You come from the world of Network
producing. What has the jump been like to web-series
production? Are the challenges similar? Benefits?

William Neal: Don Hewitt, former EP of 60 Minutes,
had a mantra he repeated over and over to his
producers and reporters: “Tell me a story!” He was
right then and I believe he’s right now – regardless
of the medium. That’s not to say there isn’t a place
for off-the-wall user generated content – clearly
YouTube and others have proved there is – but we
think viewers still crave professionally produced
product and that’s our model. Still, there are some
fundamental differences between conventional TV and
Internet TV. Here are two major differences: (1)
production costs, at least for the foreseeable
future, need to be substantially lower for Internet
TV; and, (2) TRT is also vastly different – the
sweet spot for Internet TV still seems to be in the
3-5 minute range vs. 30-60 minutes for conventional
TV. However, like conventional TV, the competition
is fierce, so the concept better be unique and
entertaining.

Scott Manville : We’ve seen an influx of web-based
projects getting picked up by mainstream media. Is
getting a web-series sold to NBC, for example, the
end all be all?

William Neal: If a deal can be done with a
conventional television network that furthers our
goals and benefits our viewers, that’ s an exciting
proposition. The TV networks are, and will remain, a
powerful force in the industry. But it’s not simply
about bragging rights, it’s about making the right
choices. An end all be all? Not at all!

Scott Manville : Advertiser support is obviously
something you try to wrap around any web distributed
content. Do you have those elements in place for
projects at KoldCast TV, or are you more focused on
the development and production of content to be
handed off to other outlets.

William Neal: As you know, advertising comes in many
shapes and sizes. We’re predominantly interested in
series and show sponsorships and certain forms of
product placement and branded entertainment. We have
just now reached the point where these elements have
become important to us. We’re working on several
projects where we believe we can provide such
Sponsors with genuine and measurable benefits.
“Relevancy” is critical to advertising success, so
matching an advertiser to the right property is our
primary objective. We are about to begin
pre-production on a new KoldCast TV series that
offers an incredible opportunity to the right
advertiser/sponsor; from the get-go, we’re highly
confident that we’ll be bringing several million
viewers to this respective series. We believe we
have the right elements in place to affect such a
valuable sponsorship, but the next month or so will
tell us if we’re on target.

We also just began work on finding a sponsor for a
KoldCast distributed show, but we are challenged by
the cutting edge nature of the show’s content,
despite the enormous attention the show has received
in mainstream media. That said, our business model,
much of which the market has not yet seen from us,
brings other material revenue-generating
opportunities to bear. These new revenue sources are
likely to far outpace conventional advertising for
the next few years while the major advertisers
continue their move into Internet TV.

Scott Manville : Here’s a very broad question for
your very broad opinion. What do you think the
Internet has done for the creative community, such
as Writers and Idea people?

William Neal: As mentioned earlier, the Internet is
giving voice to many talented artists who would
otherwise never get the chance to strut their stuff.
KoldCast was initially founded to widen the pipeline
in Hollywood and we remain vigilantly committed to
this.

Scott Manville : You're not only a Producer, but a
member of the Writers Guild of America as well. How
do you feel about the strikes resolution and the
role writers have in new media?

William Neal: I believe the WGA negotiating
committee did the best they could and the deal,
while certainly not perfect, was fair and
reasonable. I voted ‘yes’ and most of my WGA friends
did as well. The web, of course, was one of the
primary points of contention leading to the strike
yet the studio execs were right in describing it as
the “wild, wild west” and therefore nearly
impossible to quantify. The Internet picture will
undoubtedly be much clearer when this latest
contract is up and we, the writers, may need 301
Spartans to fight that war!

Scott Manville : What makes good content for a
reality series?

William Neal: Great characters, a compelling story,
and plenty of legit drama. Some sort of competition
element is also a plus, depending on the concept.
And, of course, every show needs the creative touch
of a talented writer and story-teller. I recall a
print ad featuring the iconic scene from I Love Lucy
where Lucy and Ethyl were manning the assembly line
in a chocolate factory. Suddenly, the machine went
haywire. In an effort to keep up, they frantically
began stuffing their mouths with chocolates. The
caption read: “Remember, somebody wrote that.”

Scott Manville : Although we see many reality shows
that are derivative of others, how much of today’s
reality TV is driven by original “idea”?

William Neal: There are very few truly original
ideas. For example, old reliable Regis Philbin is
back with Million Dollar Password on CBS. The
concept dates back to the early 60’s. Go figure! The
gems are certainly out there – they’re just really
tough to dig up.

Scott Manville : If you’re creating a new show, as a
Producer, what is the most important element needed
for it go the distance and survive the development
and pitching stages?

William Neal: A great concept, the right people to
execute it, and persistence with a capital “P.” It
also helps to be a little crazy, and for all the
stars to align!

Scott Manville : What’s your opinion of a service
such as the TV Writers Vault? Do you believe in
“virtual” Hollywood?

William Neal: I have been perusing the Vault for
talented writers/concepts. I believe it’s a valuable
service that we intend to mine on behalf of our
Viewers. I look forward to the addition of the
web-based category. As for a “virtual” Hollywood, I
think we’re already there.

Scott Manville: What’s your view on the
multiplatform entertainment world, say, five years
from now?

William Neal: Television and the computer will be
interchangeable – and content will be shared among
many multi-media devices. I heard a recent talk by
Eric Schmidt, Google Chairman & CEO, in which he
said the greatest challenge for Internet-based
companies over the next five years will be to cut
through the myriad of choices (i.e., the crap) and
present the ‘good stuff’ in an organized, accessible
format. At the risk of sounding self-serving, the
KoldCast management team that recruited me said the
same thing more than two years ago and that’s what
we’ve been doing all along.

Scott Manville : Thanks again for your time and
thoughts. Good luck with new developments at
KoldCast!

William Neal: Thanks, Scott. Very thoughtful
questions! And best of luck with TV Writer’s Vault –
nicely done.

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